A chemical and biological characterization of marine mucilage that generates electricity in microbial fuel cells

Abstract

The marine mucilage that emerged in the Marmara Sea in the spring of 2021 caused various environmental problems by affecting the sea surface and bottoms. In this study, a new approach for the electricity generation potential of marine mucilage and its remediation from the sea using microbial fuel cells was investigated for electricity generation, and chemical and biological characterization were demonstrated. The total carbohydrate amount, protein amount, optical density pH analyzes, and their removal before and after the operation were analyzed; In addition, the electrochemical and biochemical characterization of mucilage was indicated. Our results showed that electricity can be generated using marine mucilage in single-chamber microbial fuel cells. The highest current density was 0.0527 mA/cm2, the highest power density was 191.63 mW/m2, and the voltage was 394 mV. The total carbohydrate removal of the mucilage pretreated with sodium phosphate buffer was 20.57%. Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum represented by 55.75% of the reads. Rhodobacteraceae, Alteromonas, and Nonlabens genera were the most dominant groups with 8.63%, 8.28%, and 8.08%, respectively, in the mucilage sample. In conclusion, electricity can be produced in microbial fuel cells using marine mucilage, and this novel technology could help reduce marine pollution.